Hanrahan, posters on this forum are quick to point out just how important China is to Australia; it's our Numero Uno trading partner. The Chinese have an Australian history story almost as long as that for GB and aside from physical resources it is a major education services export market for us. Some 200 Australian Chinese even fought for Australia during WW1 and 'Chinatowns' are important parts of our major cities.
China may have a Communist regime but it now has an increasingly market economy and some very astute business PEOPLE. They welcome our tourists and increasingly support our tourism industry, invest in Australia and permit us to invest in China.
Now in case you missed it, Japan slaughtered countless millions of Chinese civilians prior to and throughout WW2. Yet in apparent ignorance of that, Tony Abbott recently declared Japan to be our best friend and even backed its territorial claims disputed by China. HE even went out of HIS way to pour praise on Japanese armed forces.
Then along came Julie Bishop to teach those nasty Chinese Communists a lesson or two about how important, all-knowing and really powerful her and Tony Abbott really are.
Well surprise! Surprise! Surprise! The Chinese now feel INSULTED and as students of Asian history will tell you, that is neither to our credit nor to our advantage!
